MicroPort CRM (Cardiac Rhythm Management) is a business unit of MicroPort Scientific Corporation that manufactures pacemakers, implantable defibrillators, pacing leads and Holter monitors for patients with cardiac rhythm disorders. MicroPort CRM’s solutions are Class III products, that means they are strictly regulated by regulatory authorities and must have the highest level of quality.
Moving beyond a paper-based system
Before the introduction of MES in 2014, traceability was fully manual and all the test systems recordings that were used to check the electronic features of the devices, the lot numbers and materials used for product manufacturing were managed and signed in a separate and parallel way by the operator.
It was a huge amount of work spent to perform paper-based traceability activity.
This was the impetus for implementing Opcenter™ software, a manufacturing execution system (MES). It is part of the Xcelerator™ portfolio, the comprehensive and integrated portfolio of software and services from Siemens Digital Industries Software. And today many machines in the MicroPort CRM production facility receive information from Opcenter MES.
“Opcenter enabled us to control production: to record all production-related data and search, retrieve and consume a massive amount of data but it also allows us to control and avoid errors during the manufacturing flow,” – says Federico Carnovale, information technology (IT) Manager at MicroPort CRM.
Carnovale continued highlighting the importance of traceability – “If we don’t have full traceability into one product, we cannot sell that product so we need to scrap it. Today, with a system that drives the execution of manufacturing, we can avoid this kind of issue and the related scrap”
Opcenter pays off
“One of the benefits that we had with this system was with the massive amount of data collected in a single digital repository, we added the possibility to do analytics reporting. Before Opcenter it was more difficult to create reports with live data coming directly from one factory” – says Carnovale.
“If you look at industrial plants, you can imagine that a big percentage of the timeline of the manufacturing is spent signing, writing, losing, printing: removing all this means accelerating the production lead time and this is a benefit for digitalizing manufacturing” – says Fadi Fakhouri, IT Director at MicroPort CRM
“We are often audited by certificate entities and recently received compliments from the notified body for our traceability system and stability strength. We can provide the auditors with information in real time, retrieve data as they want and are able to show the reliability of the data they want without delay.” – says Alessandro Starace, Manager, Data Management MicroPort CRM
Integrating Opcenter with other factory systems
Opcenter is integrated with the firm’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and is interfaced directly with its testing and manufacturing machines and the automation systems, which interact in real time.
This integration is key because, for example, one machine that is needed to produce a part must get information on the manufacturing instruction immediately in real time before executing the manufacturing. In turn, it needs to provide feedback to the system on the operation just carried out because the next operation might be a few seconds later. So it is necessary to have a way of communicating that is extremely fast.
Labeling is another key aspect in the medical device industry. The labeling of the product is done with a software that manages the labeling for all products in the MicroPort CRM system. In this case MES provides information that is consumed by the labeling software to produce labels.
Battery production takes place in a dynamic landscape of manufacturing. Efficiency is the cornerstone of success. Nowhere is this more evident than in the realm of automotive battery production, where precision and optimization are paramount. At EBZ Group, a beacon of innovation in the transportation industry, Louisa Christin, a senior project manager in production planning, is leading the charge towards enhancing battery production through the integration of layout planning into material flow simulation.
Unlocking potential
Louisa Christin’s journey into the world of mechanical engineering at the University of Applied Science Ravensburg-Weingarten laid the foundation for her pioneering work at EBZ. Since joining the company in 2018, she is responsible for projects in production planning, focusing particularly on body-in-white and battery production facilities. Her expertise extends to material flow simulation, where she has been instrumental in implementing static and dynamic simulations using Siemens Tecnomatix Plant Simulation software.
The power of integration In her lecture, Louisa will shed light on the synergies between layout planning and material flow simulation, emphasizing the advantages of their integration in the context of battery production. By combining these methodologies, companies can gain invaluable insights into their production processes, leading to enhanced efficiency, reduced costs and improved quality.
Navigating challenges Drawing from real-world experiences, Louisa will present three compelling use cases from EBZ’s project business. Each case will provide a comprehensive overview of the project, highlighting the differences between battery production in material flow simulation with and without layout implementation. Attendees will gain a deep understanding of the evolution of battery production in material flow simulation and the challenges encountered along the way.
Realizing benefits Louisa will delve into the heart of each use case, discussing the biggest challenges faced and the strategies employed to overcome them. Attendees can expect to learn about the tangible benefits that have resulted from integrating layout planning into material flow simulation, including increased throughput, optimized resource utilization and streamlined processes.
By seamlessly integrating layout planning with material flow simulation, automated battery production lines engineered by EBZ not only optimize efficiency but also propel us into a future where precision and innovation converge to power the automotive industry forward.”
Scrolling through LinkedIn one evening, Ilie Ciobanu saw a post fly by for the Siemens Startup Program, part of the Siemens Xcelerator solution portfolio. He and his partner, Alex Bugnar had recently created their space startup, a design and simulation analysis consultancy, OX Origin, located in the heart of Transylvania in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. As experienced space experts and digital natives, OX Origin designs complex space systems and components that are high-tech one-offs, engineered to space environment performance standards.
“When we started own consultancy in 2019, we wanted to offer our space customers that same seamlessness between NX and Simcenter that a lot of space specialists count on, and also the ability to work with all the Siemens solvers and pre-post processors, like Simcenter Nastran and Simcenter Femap.” Co-founder Ilie Ciobanu, OX Origin adds, “I knew that Simcenter offered — by far — more and better connectivity between the design and analysis processes. It was much more integrated compared to other tools.”
Ilie Ciobanu had worked extensively with Simcenter and NX early in his career for Thales Alenia and as a digital native knew the power and excellence of the NX/Simcenter combo when it came to space design and qualification.
“Thanks to its accuracy and built-in simulation validation tools, you find Simcenter and NX all over the space landscape, whether you are working on the first preliminary design review of a complex electro-mechanical components for solar arrays or preparing for final qualification testing on an opto-mechanical system for an observation telescope,” explains Ciobanu. “So naturally, when we started, we invested in two licenses for Simcenter 3D, which were tailored according to our work requirements — typical space engineering projects in the mechanical and systems engineering field.”
“We wanted a couple of full licenses, and we were curious about integrating some of the other Siemens tools into our internal and customer processes, but as a startup, the budget was just out-of-reach at the time,” explains co-founder Alex Bugnar, OX Origin.
A startup program tailored to advanced engineering
You could imagine their enthusiasm when they discovered that Siemens offers several startup program options tailored to various product development needs – and budgets. One that caught Ilie’s eye was Siemens Xcelerator for Design that included NX for Design, an advanced engineering package of Simcenter simulation tools as well as Teamcenter software.
Ilie Ciobanu dropped an email saying he was interested in the Siemens Xcelerator startup programs and especially the digital tools that he knew were frequently found in the space industry including Simcenter simulation and testing solutions, NX and newer tools like Teamcenter Share (formerly Xcelerator Share).
A Siemens partner ready to help space startups
He shortly heard back from the Siemens Xcelerator Startup Program via a Siemens partner based in Bucharest, Romania, Digital Twin.
Together, they consolidated an affordable package of dedicated space solutions from NX, Simcenter and Teamcenter and adapted them to the OX Origin workflow.
“Digital Twin really helped us regarding the start-up program and software support. Simcenter is a very advanced tool and there are always new things coming up that the team at Digital Twin were happy to help with,” explains Ciobanu.
“From my time at Thales Alenia Space, I experienced the power of the Simcenter/NX combination and the excellent connectivity and integration between NX for the design aspect and Simcenter for more advanced analysis like finite element and system work. The baked-in, step-by-step workflow in the software is very intuitive, but we needed help getting up to speed on the new advances, like space thermal analysis, cost calculations and cloud-based collaboration tools.”
A quest for a better process
As the guys know at OX Origin, the space industry is an exacting place to engineer: everything, every step and every minute detail is scrutinized, double and triple-checked, verified and quality controlled. The rules do not bend. Everyone involved in the process follows strict and specific step-by-step development processes, which can be time-consuming.
Being a small company, OX Origin was surprised to discover that they could save significant time using Teamcenter as well. They had been under the impression that Teamcenter worked well at the bigger aerospace companies to trace data and processes, so they were happy to discover Teamcenter Share, a scalable, secure, cloud-based collaboration version.
“Teamcenter Share was a nice surprise. It is a good solution for the space industry because you can easily add external partners and sync files with extra security and data integrity; I had an excellent hands-on experience with that tool and we tried it out right away with our major customer projects,” says Ciobanu.
“As consultants, it is so difficult to find time. Anything that helps save us time, like Teamcenter Share, is highly valuable.” He adds, “Less admin-hassle in our process frees up engineering time for other customers and projects as well,” adds Bugnar.
Safe and secure in the cloud
OX Origin appreciated the fact that the Siemens Xcelerator platform is securely in the cloud. Not only did this make life easier for customer collaboration and vital security guarantees, it also made working internally a snap.
“We aren’t always in the same place or country and our subcontractors and customers are spread around Europe,” explains Bugnar. “With the Siemens tools, you can have two guys working on the project almost simultaneously from practically any location without affecting each other’s work or crossing wires. We can look at 2 problems or more at the same time,” concludes Bugnar, “It’s like a 2-for-1 engineering coupon for our customers. It not only saves 50% percent of our time, it also saves money.”
Vehicle cooling systems are indispensable since they not only improve an occupant’s comfort but maintain the vehicle’s correct internal temperature and protect key components. They extend the lifetime of engines and ensure proper performance, reducing harmful exhaust emissions. Therefore, the largest automotive companies want high-quality components, which means cooperating with partners who can guarantee their product’s quality.
ESTRA Automotive Systems (ESTRA) is a global leader in the automotive cooling system industry. It has been in business under its present name since 2019, but its history in the automotive industry dates to 1998. That is when it began to build its position, specializing in the design, validation and production of vehicle thermal components and systems. Today, its operations include offices and technology centers around the world, as well as 14 production plants, including one in Zabrze, Poland.
This is where the company manufactures vehicle powertrain cooling modules, including liquid-cooled condensers, heat exchangers, radiators and condensers. Due to its many years of experience and competencies in cooling systems, ESTRA provides solutions for internal combustion engines (ICEs), electric and hybrid vehicles. For these vehicle types, ESTRA provides solutions tailored to their unique characteristics and manufactures them with the utmost attention to detail.
Using Opcenter for global MES
The automotive sector requires companies to meet stringent constraints for product quality, process validation and certification. With the increasing sophistication of cars and their systems, manufacturers’ expectations regarding individual component quality from external partners are also changing. Due to these strict requirements and manufacturing processes, ESTRA sought out and implemented a manufacturing execution system (MES), which they integrated in their Asia-based markets. However, to integrate this system globally meant the current system would not be sufficient due to support and standardization challenges.
When building a new factory in Poland, ESTRA started looking for standardized global solutions that had full local support. They wanted a solution that would allow precise monitoring and control of production processes in real time to quickly detect and respond to any irregularities and unforeseen situations. With help from ASKOM, a certified Siemens Digital Industries Software manufacturing operations management (MOM) partner, the company decided to integrate Opcenter™ software, which is part of the Siemens Xcelerator business platform of software, hardware and services, into the Zabrze plant. Using Opcenter gave the company a full range of locally implemented services and technical support.
“We wanted to find a solution with a global footprint that had the necessary local technical support we required,” says Waldemar Wojtasz, the MES coordinator and change leader at ESTRA. “We were able to achieve our goals by cooperating with Siemens and ASKOM.”
When Opcenter was implemented, the plant employed solutions to match the condenser design for one of its key automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The next step was to use Opcenter Execution Discrete, a production execution system, to handle complex assembly operations. Using its base version with basic functionalities, ESTRA was able to gather data to create a personalized solution that allowed them to develop established products while evolving the system.
“Solution flexibility was critical to us,” says Wojtasz. “We wanted to deploy a solution that was tailored to us, our needs and the nature of production, as opposed to having to adapt to the technologies. This was undoubtedly a valuable benefit from cooperating with ASKOM and Siemens.”
Improving the quality of production
Leveraging Opcenter Execution Discrete, which uses a set of standard and company-specific functionalities, ESTRA workers can more efficiently handle production orders, carrying out production processes faster while maintaining high-quality standards. Since machines verify most components, which helps reduce errors, the company can ensure product quality and detect any shortcomings at an earlier stage. This allows the company to take measures to avoid and minimize situations where corrective action would be necessary.
Since the ESTRA plant’s label management and quality control are more automated and precise, the company can reduce the risk of defective products. Additionally, by using Opcenter Execution Discrete, the company was able to introduce full production process traceability. This is important in the automotive sector for tracking every component, from the moment the raw material enters production to the final product. ESTRA can then store the information for the next 30 years.
By using an MES, which acts as the factory’s nervous system and brain, the company can digitally manage huge amounts of information, reducing paperwork. “We liken the MES to a policing system that keeps things in order,” says Wojtasz. “Every radiator we produce has its own identity in the system, receiving a code on its core in the process to track and record its history. This is how ESTRA, and our customers, know exactly where the product has been and how it behaved during each production stage.”
By integrating Opcenter Execution with SAP enterprise resource planning (ERP), ESTRA was able to provide a consistent flow of information between the business and production systems. This helped the company increase their operational efficiency and improve production order and material data management. By transferring data between the system and the production line in real time, they were able to create a planned cycle time, reducing production cycle time to less than 1 minute.
Additionally, by integrating Opcenter Execution with the Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture (OPC UA) standard into the automation systems from various vendors, ESTRA was able to further automate production processes. Since companies collect process data directly from the machines, the systems provide valuable production line performance information, optimizing and preventing downtime. The production team has access to various key performance indicators (KPIs) in real time and uses them to make quick decisions, ensuring the factory’s efficiency and competitiveness in the automotive sector.
Further, ESTRA created a more flexible production process and improved company transparency by integrating vertical information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT). For example, they were able to connect the shop floor to the top floor.
“Having this knowledge at our fingertips allows us to respond to problems of various degrees of severity,” says Wojtasz. “Using Opcenter, we can respond to trivial issues concerning the arrangement of product parts on the production line to more important issues like missing information that could result in corrective actions.”
Moving towards further automation
The ESTRA factory in Zabrze is constantly evolving since the company is regularly bringing in new machines and production lines. ESTRA is implementing these improvements to meet specific customer needs and further automate the factory.
Next steps include implementing a preventive maintenance scheme to further reduce downtime. By using an MES system to organize data collected in real time from machines, the company can access information to define the scope of work for maintaining the line and machinery fleet.
Additionally, ESTRA aims to integrate Teamcenter® software, which is also part of Siemens Xcelerator, to achieve a closed-loop manufacturing process and a solution that includes product lifecycle management (PLM), ERP and MOM. This could provide ESTRA’s factory with further growth opportunities, enabling seamless information exchange and interaction in the physical and virtual worlds. Further, the company can take another step toward achieving operational excellence and reinforcing its position in the automotive sector.
As the automotive industry evolves, new opportunities are opening via technologies; however, this can cause production quality, validation and certification challenges. Manufacturers like ESTRA are leveraging the support of trusted partners, like Siemens and ASKOM, and available solutions in their quest for excellence and innovation. “Thanks to Opcenter, our customers can get better products while we save money by minimizing the number of corrective actions,” says Wojtasz. ESTRA provides a model for other companies, showing how to effectively meet rigorous industry standards and customer expectations while keeping
Terumo Americas is a global leader in medical device industry manufacturing life-supporting and sustaining Class III devices across four divisions over the last 50 years, including interventional systems, injection and infusion therapy devices and drug delivery devices.
Terumo Americas’ Siemens-based MES implementation over a decade ago resulted in the reduction of NCRs and complaints by 40 – 60%. In 2018, they built on this initial success with a larger digital transformation initiative. With SAP S/4HANA selected as its ERP, Terumo Americas leadership selected Siemens as its strategic partner for manufacturing operations management (MOM), implementing Siemens Opcenter Execution for Medical Device and Diagnostics. These would serve as the major enterprise systems for their digital factories around the world.
“We set out to build our digital factories of the future, this initiative was not about technology. It was about transforming the way we did business.” – Kalyan Balsubramanian, Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Terumo Americas.
Terumo implemented Siemens Opcenter in their facility in Puerto Rico, with a go live on the same day as the SAP go live. They achieved what they considered the pinnacle of MES goals, the generation of eDHRs. They simultaneously went live at their largest site in Elkton, Maryland.
“Both implementations were extremely successful” said Rick Larrieu, Vice President of Global IT Applications and Infrastructure at Terumo Americas. “We leveraged Siemens’ expertise to help us build the roadmap and the implementation plan. We learned a lot from that experience, which will help us adapt for future deployments, as well as our integration with automation equipment.”
Terumo Americas’ goal was to integrate their business logistics layer, ERP, with their manufacturing operations layer, MOM, and connect with automation and sensors – ultimately building the framework for Industry 4.0. At the same time, Terumo needed to scale their production not only of quality products, but quality processes. The complexity of their compliance requirements, especially with the US FDA, were daunting.
“The transition to eDHRs has been of the utmost importance, before, we had to review a stack of papers 5 inches thick for the release of every material batch, which took a full day or more. With Opcenter, we are able to release batches in under 30 minutes.”
– Rick Larrieu Vice President of Global IT Applications and Infrastructure Terumo Americas
The paperless manufacturing environment delivered by Siemens Opcenter was transformational for productivity, as well as the streamlining of quality processes. Terumo found that their previous product nonconformances had been caused by paperwork and data entry errors. As the MES controlled each of the data entry points, they were able to reduce their nonconformances dramatically.
Another impact of digitalization was on the culture of the manufacturing organization. “This was not a technology initiative,” said Balsubramanian.
“We leveraged the Siemens expertise to help us build the roadmap and the implementation plan. We learned a lot from that experience, which will help us adapt for future deployments, as well as our integration with automation equipment.”
– Rick Larrieu Vice President of Global IT Applications and Infrastructure Terumo Americas
Explore how Siemens Tecnomatix Plant Simulation and Opcenter solutions help to digitalize pharmaceutical manufacturing for sustainable efficiency.
In the heart of Glasgow, Scotland, the Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre (MMIC) spearheads a transformative journey within the pharmaceutical (pharma) industry. CPI, technology innovation catalyst, opened the world leading MMIC to raise the bar in pharmaceutical manufacturing by redefining the future of pharmaceutical production with cutting-edge digital technology, collaborative expertise and more sustainable manufacturing practices. The MMIC is a unique collaboration between CPI and 23 partner organizations from all different sectors.
MMIC is an open-access collaborative innovation center specific to pharma manufacturing, meaning they work with numerous partners, such as industry giants like GSK, Pfizer and Novartis as well as partners from business, academia and government agencies Their collaboration for pharma manufacturing aims to deliver innovation that drives new processes and products into the pharma industry using Siemens digitalization solutions to tackle issues such as the development of more sustainable manufacturing processes.
The unique pharma manufacturing challenge
MMIC works with pharma companies, as well as technology companies and equipment manufacturers that provide technology to help the industry. However, one of the center’s challenges relates to maintaining the truest sense of collaboration through digitalization by creating a standard architecture that allows the factories to build consistently. This includes streamlining processes, accelerating development, and reducing waste and energy consumption, which is where Plant Simulation in the Tecnomatix® portfolio comes into play. By creating a digital twin based on real data, Tecnomatix empowers operators to optimize processes, minimize waste and enhance efficiency. Driving the center’s innovation engine is the digital twin. With it, pharma companies can design everything from the smallest single product, to manufacturing processes, to the entire factory, and detail and tweak each as needed. From identifying which materials work well to storing the the finished products, Tecnomatix Plant Simulation lets operators choose the right modules, conduct tests, and avoid bottlenecks.
The tool that we’ve used most for our digital twins for design is Tecnomatix. Our industrial partners set our digital ambition and my team delivers it.”
The major pharma’s success also lies in leveraging Siemens Opcenter™ Execution alongside Tecnomatix. This seamless integration among Siemens digital manufacturing software is a perfect example of how the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio ensures a streamlined experience for software users. Opcenter is a key element of the digital twin, ensuring the manufacturing execution is performed correctly and provides full traceability of the product and process. MMIC can now ensure information tracking, regulated process control and simplified approval processes. With customized dashboards consolidating data from various systems, personnel can make faster, more informed decisions, driving efficiency and agility.
Tecnomatix Plant Simulation and Opcenter software drive manufacturing success
At the core of innovation lies the digital twin, powered by Tecnomatix. The factory simulation software enables pharmaceutical companies to design and fine-tune every aspect of manufacturing processes, from individual products to entire factories. By simulation scenarios and identifying optimal solutions, Tecnomatix drives efficiency and minimizes waste. Not to mention, real-time data further enhances simulation accuracy, with Simatic® Real-time Location Services (RTLS) providing insights into object movement within the facility. This integration closes the loop between simulation and reality, facilitating continuous improvement and optimization.
Beyond efficiency gains, the center embraces sustainability as a core principle. Collaborating with Siemens consultants, MMIC was able to deploy automation, optimize processes and adopt smart building solutions to reduce their carbon footprint. The strive for sustainability is paramount for MMIC, which is enabled by Siemens digitalization solutions. Tecnomatix Plant Simulation emerges as a cornerstone in the pharmaceutical industry’s journey towards sustainability and efficiency. By optimizing processes, reducing waste and embracing digitalization, the MMIC sets a precedent for clean and sustainable manufacturing practices. With Tecnomatix as a driving success factor, the future of pharma manufacturing looks brighter, greener and more efficient than ever before.
Sweden’s leading fuel company uses Siemens Digital Enterprise portfolio and partner PlantVision for digital transformation in the Oil and Gas Industry
OKQ8, one of Sweden’s largest fuel companies, has increased operational reliability with a fully automatic depot management solution. Using Siemens Digital Industries Software solution partner, PlantVision AB, and the Siemens Digital Enterprise portfolio, OKQ8 has fully automated the fuel loading and unloading process, with full control and traceability in a modern, future-proof system.
OKQ8 was struggling to streamline their depot management. They needed better traceability, reliability, and user assistance to meet their customer follow-up needs. They wanted to create a more stable and efficient solution using trusted products and implementation resources.
OKQ8 chose the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio and PlantVision as their partners for digital transformation. Using Siemens SIMATIC PCS 7, COMOS, SMIT and Opcenter Execution Process software, OKQ8 knew that they had trusted solutions that had been vetted in the industry. PlantVision’s expertise with this full portfolio of products ensured the success of the project.
“It is great to have integration between all systems,” said Johan Bergstrand, automation engineer at PlantVision. “Having a standardized and integrated platform with COMOS, SIMIT, Opcenter Execution Process and SIMATIC PCS 7 connects everything in one database. Recipe management, I/Os and all the information are in the same place and synced between the systems. It is smart engineering.”
OKQ8 says the handling, which consists of loading, unloading, inventory levels, administration and invoicing, is now fully automated. The result is a reliable, modern, future-proof and significantly more efficient and traceable solution for depot management that can also be used for follow up and documentation.
Read the entire case study to learn how OKQ8 leveraged Siemens’ solutions and partner PlantVision to transform their depot management, the details of their implementation, and key learnings for your own operations.
Using Siemens Opcenter, leading chemicals company streamlines production with digital manufacturing
BASF, one of the world’s largest chemical companies, has achieved the highest levels of operational excellence by streamlining the production of their crop protection solutions for soil management, plant health, pest control and digital farming. Their Xemium® product is an active and environmentally safe fungicide that enables highly reliable crop protection for greater yields, helping growers combine profitability with environment protection.
Xemium production runs 24 hours a day, 365 days per year and involves both continuous and batch processes as well as laboratory analyses for quality control and end-of-line packaging. BASF sought a digital solution that would help them reliably produce and package their fungicides, improve production transparency, and maximize productivity. They chose Siemens Opcenter as their foundation for digital manufacturing.
Opcenter allowed BASF to create vertical process integration, closing the digital gap between ERP and SCADA systems. Quality control was integrated throughout their digitalized production processes, with handheld scanners improving their data acquisition from operations.
The result was a complete digital thread that streamlined their manufacturing operations, reducing their batch production time by 5 to 10 percent. They were able to eliminate 5 days of manual paperwork per month by digitalizing their processes and capturing production data automatically. Their fungicide supply was delivered on a more timely schedule for their customers, promoting sustainable, high-yield farming.
GROB-WERKE GmbH & Co. KG (GROB) is a family-owned company and leading manufacturer of production plants and CNC machines for the automotive industry, ranging from universal machining centers to fully automated production and assembly systems.
GROB faces several business challenges, including:
Designing leading-edge automotive production equipment
Using standardization to manage high customization level
Relying on global engineering collaboration
Maintaining their leadership position in competitive industry
GROB owes a large part of its success thanks to the ability to anticipate and quickly respond to changing market trends using a high level of automation. With Siemens’ Xcelerator software portfolio, GROB’s engineers can design, engineer, and manufacture production equipment and CNC machines for the automotive industry.
Automate CNC machines in the automotive industry with NX CAM
GROB engineers create a digital twin of each production machine and line using NX. They also use NX CAM to automatically create CNC programs using Feature-Based Machining. This capability helps GROB’s programmers to create a machining rule library containing standard bore types, pockets and surface definitions, including the tools required for machining operations. Before sending the CNC programs to the machine tools, the engineers simulate complete machining processes using the NX CAM’s machining simulation capabilities, ensuring error-free production on the shop floor.
To better collaborate, the engineers exchange 3D models between production facilities, using Teamcenter as the central information hub. These models are then CNC programed locally, making it easier for the engineers at each facility to adjust the CNC programs according to the available resources and equipment.
Using NX CAM for feature-based machining helped us automate design and CNC programming work. Recognizing 95 percent of GROB standard bore types and 70 to 80 percent of other features, the automatic feature recognition has reduced CNC programming time by 30 percent and considerably reduced the number of different tools used.
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